Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai unexpectedly took the lead in the women's singles competition at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The Japanese skater surpassed her decorated compatriot Kaori Sakamoto and American representative Alysa Liu. Meanwhile, one of the gold medal favorites, Amber Glenn, experienced a sporting drama after a disastrous error on a Rittberger, which pushed her down to a distant thirteenth place. Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian, competing under a neutral flag, also joined the medal race.

Sensational Lead for Nakai

17-year-old Ami Nakai won the short program, scoring 78.71 points thanks to a perfect triple Axel, giving her an advantage over her domestic rivals.

Costly Error by Amber Glenn

The American champion finished only in 13th place after her Rittberger was not counted, which dashed her chances for a gold medal.

Russian Skater's Return to Competition

Adeliia Petrosian, competing as a neutral athlete, took 5th place and remains in the fight for the podium with a program to music by Michael Jackson.

The start of the women's singles competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena brought immense emotions and a shake-up in the world's top rankings. Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai, making her senior season debut, demonstrated remarkable precision by executing a flawless triple Axel. With a score of 78.71 points, she outpaced three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto and American Alysa Liu. Japanese dominance was confirmed by Mone Chiba in fourth place, positioning this team as the absolute favorite ahead of the decisive free skate. Completely different sentiments prevail in the US team. Amber Glenn, who arrived in Milan as one of the main contenders for gold, made a costly error in her short program. Her Rittberger was deemed an invalid element, resulting in zero points being awarded for that jump. Despite support from Madonna herself, who sent the athlete a personal video, Glenn finished the competition in tears in 13th place. Experts emphasize that with the current point deficit, her chances for an individual medal have practically vanished. The last time an American women's singles skater won an Olympic gold medal was in 2002, when Sarah Hughes triumphed in Salt Lake City. Since then, world figure skating has been dominated by skaters from Japan and Russia. Adeliia Petrosian also found herself in the spotlight. The eighteen-year-old Russian skater, competing as a neutral athlete due to sanctions imposed on her country, presented a program to music by Michael Jackson. Her performance, though controversial due to the presence of Russian coaches, was scored highly on technical merit, allowing her to take fifth place. Petrosian remains within close striking distance of the top three, promising an extremely fierce battle on Thursday. „My dreams shattered into pieces because of one mistake. I felt the support of the fans, but in this sport, the margin for error is merciless.” — Amber Glenn [{"position": 1, "name": "Ami Nakai", "info": "Japan", "score": "78.71 pts"}, {"position": 2, "name": "Kaori Sakamoto", "info": "Japan", "score": "76.21 pts"}, {"position": 3, "name": "Alysa Liu", "info": "USA", "score": "74.15 pts"}, {"position": 5, "name": "Adeliia Petrosian", "info": "AIN (Russia)", "score": "72.83 pts"}, {"position": 13, "name": "Amber Glenn", "info": "USA", "score": "67.39 pts"}]

Mentioned People

  • Amber Glenn — American figure skater, current national champion, who suffered a painful drop in the Olympic rankings.
  • Ami Nakai — Young Japanese figure skater, leader of the Olympic competition after the short program.
  • Alysa Liu — US representative holding third place, being America's greatest hope for a medal.